I'd take that bet. the amusing thing is that in more established fields (like cars), everyone knows the history of ideas, and things like multi-valve cylinders are universally acknowledged as obvious and _not_ patented.

apple is pursuing a scorched-earth policy to preserve its 60% profit margins. the legal framework for IP protection is *not* about "fairness", or even "deserved profits". it's all about granting monopolies to prevent exact copies, no more, no less.

no one designs in a vacuum - indeed, it would be incompetent design to not examine the context, and to learn from competitors. after all, that is the purpose of patents and copyrights: disclosure enables progress.

Samsung is not a cheat. They have a right to react to market changes to remain competitive, and yes, even "steal" a rounded rectangular shape if they so choose. I was using a Samsung/Palm color touchscreen phone with web browser, email, etc. in 2003! Many of these patents don't even meet the minimum criteria for patentability and should never have been granted. Samsung has nothing to do with the broken US patent system. This is all just a replay of the Apple-Microsoft lawsuit claims that windows was a blatant rip-off of mac os. Never mind that mac os was a blatant rip off of Xerox. Somehow when Apple does it, it's considered "innovation".

"Lancia developed the first V-6 engine, back in the early 1960s. Because of transverse mounted engines and front wheel drive, that V-6 approach has become ubiquitous. Same goes for multivalve cylinders, hemispherical heads, direct injection (used to be available only in diesels or the Mercedes 300SL), turbocharging, electronic engine controls."
I'd bet every one of those things is patented and licensed too.

"If a car manufacturer blantantly copied a Ferrari they would be sued."
In some superficial adornments, maybe. But for example, car companies design their own engines, and yet these days, with computer modeling of every aspect of the engine, they look more and more alike. For efficiency reasons.
Lancia developed the first V-6 engine, back in the early 1960s. Because of transverse mounted engines and front wheel drive, that V-6 approach has become ubiquitous. Same goes for multivalve cylinders, hemispherical heads, direct injection (used to be available only in diesels or the Mercedes 300SL), turbocharging, electronic engine controls.
And the same goes with the general looks of cars. The high trunk look, for example, adopted in the mid 1970s initially by Triumph TR7 and then the Mercedes C class, is all about reducing coefficient of drag. Everyone has adopted that.
Rounded corners in a rectangular toy, I'm sorry, it's just too ludicrous to raise a stink about that.